When I was eight years old, I remember singing fun worship songs at what we called “junior church.” One of those songs was called Big House by a Christian rock band named Audio Adrenaline. The song lyrics say, “Come and go with me to my Father’s house…it’s a big, big house with lots and lots of rooms.”
It’s a fun song with an upbeat rhythm and catchy lyrics. It was so catchy that I still remember the words today as an adult. But at age eight, I remember this song giving me a grand picture of heaven. God has a place prepared for me in heaven.
Our SOAP verse today gives us a picture of the hope we have in Christ. Just before this passage of Scripture, Jesus tells the crowds He will be crucified, and He shares the Passover meal with His disciples.
In John 14:1, Jesus tells His disciples to not let their hearts be troubled. He is setting the scene to give them hope for what’s to come. Jesus has to die to fulfill God’s plan for salvation, but His death is not the end of the story.
Jesus’s death, resurrection, and ascension allow Him to prepare a place for His people and send the promised Holy Spirit to believers. Jesus’s death is provision for all believers because it bridges the gap between sinful man and a holy God, creating a way for them to receive eternal life, not by works but by belief in Jesus.
Jesus is the Spotless Lamb, the Perfect Sacrifice, the Son of God, that had the ability to pay for all mankind’s sin. He paid the penalty for sin that we could never pay on our own. Not only that, but Jesus also defeated sin and death when He rose from the grave, proving His deity as God.
Jesus is our forerunner, meaning He has gone before us, paid the price for our sin, and created a way for us to live eternally with God.
Jesus also promises the Holy Spirit to all believers. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in every believer at their point of salvation. The Spirit is our Helper, Comforter, and Guide.
Later in John 15 and 16, Jesus shares that it is better for Him to die and go to heaven so that the promised Holy Spirit can come live in every believer. As the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit performs the functions Jesus would have performed if He could have stayed on earth. Having God dwell in us through the Spirit is the greatest gift we could have been given.
Lastly, Jesus promises He will come again in our SOAP passage. Revelation 19:11-16 speaks of Jesus’ Second Coming, where John describes in detail the fulfilled kingdom of God. When Jesus returns to earth, Satan will be defeated, and the earth will be restored to its original creation.
For believers, we wait with eager anticipation for Satan to be defeated once and for all. For non-believers, Christ’s Second Coming will be a dark day because they will be cast into hell forever. This reality should encourage us as believers to continue to share the gospel with those who don’t have a relationship with Jesus. God has always had a plan for redemption and restoration through Christ. He will come again, and we will be near to Him forever.
Friends, if you are in Christ today, rejoice! Your place in heaven with God is final and secure because of Christ’s righteousness that’s been freely given to you. This world is not our home. We were created to dwell with God. Let us hold onto hope as we wait for Christ’s return.
